Blake Lively Missed ‘SNL’ Hosting Gig Due to ‘It Ends With Us’ Smear Campaign

Blake Lively‘s lawsuit against It Ends With Us director and co-star Justin Baldoni has drawn widespread attention since it went public over the weekend. The claims are extensive and detail not only alleged sexual harassment on set but also a calculated smear campaign against the actress during the promotion of the film, as stories of a feud between the pair began to make headlines. The lawsuit indicates that Baldoni and his publicity team sought to damage Lively’s reputation, which, as it turns out, may have cost her the opportunity to host Saturday Night Live.

Per Variety, Lively’s lawsuit cites the actress missing out on hosting the SNL Season 50 premiere as one casualty of Baldoni’s smear campaign against her. Per the claim, Lively felt she could not make public appearances or go to events without being forced to discuss what happened while filming It Ends With Us. In addition to missing out on hosting SNL back in September, Lively also canceled a Target corporate event to support her hair care company.

“The effects on Ms. Lively’s professional life were immediate and substantial. Given the ongoing nature of the campaign and the associated negative public sentiment, Ms. Lively did not believe she could proceed with public appearances or events without being forced to openly discuss what happened on set. For example, Ms. Lively canceled a Target corporate event for her hair care company, and she backed out of her scheduled role to host the premiere episode of the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live in September 2024.”

Lively’s lawsuit against Baldoni and his Wayfarer production company is detailed and alarming. In thorough detail, the complaint outlines the alleged sexual harassment the actress endured while filming It Ends With Us and the subsequent smear campaign that Baldoni embarked on with his publicity team to damage Lively’s character and discredit her. The complaint claims that Baldoni and a producer tried to add overly sexual material to the film without Lively’s consent, showed pornographic material to Lively, discussed their sex addictions, and frequently used sexually inappropriate language on set.

Blake Lively’s Lawsuit Details Disturbing Allegations of Sexual Harassment And an Attempt to Silence Her

One moment chronicled in the lawsuit details a meeting in January 2024 between Lively and Baldoni following her return to work on It Ends With Us after the WGA and SAG strikes came to a close. During that meeting, Lively claims that Baldoni made complaints about her weight, discussed his sex life in a way that was viewed as incredibly inappropriate, and forced her to reveal her religious beliefs. Jamey Heath, CEO of Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios and producer on the film, is also named in the lawsuit, which goes on to claim that Heath showed Lively a video of his wife giving birth.

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Justin Baldoni used the same crisis PR team that worked for Johnny Depp during his defamation trial against Amber Heard.

Perhaps even more damning is that Baldoni and his team allegedly threatened Lively with a smear campaign should she make any of her allegations against the director public. The lawsuit backed this up with screenshots of text messages and e-mails between the actress, Baldoni, and his publicity team that said they would launch a campaign to damage her name should she make these issues publicly known.

Baldoni has denied all claims through his lawyer, but the talent agency WME reacted swiftly to Lively’s lawsuit and parted ways with Baldoni soon after it went public. There are multiple sides to every story, but if you look back at how Lively’s name was being publicly tarnished during the film’s promotion, and how Baldoni made it a point to constantly discuss the domestic violence aspects of the film and his support for abuse victims in his interviews, you see a pattern where one person’s credibility begins to look a bit better in the court of public opinion. Should Lively’s claims be true, shame on Baldoni for using the film’s very serious themes to make himself look good while destroying the character of his co-star as a power play and seemingly out of spite. That’s another level of abuse, and Lively has every right to fight back against it.

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Based on Colleen Hoover’s 2016 novel, It Ends With Us is a drama-romance film directed by Justin Baldoni. The film follows a recent college graduate named Lily, who meets a man named Ryle and falls in love with him. However, a traumatic incident compounded with her former high-school sweetheart re-entering her life complicates her plans.

Release Date

August 9, 2024

Runtime

130 Minutes

Cast

Blake Lively
, Justin Baldoni
, Brandon Sklenar
, Jenny Slate
, Hasan Minhaj
, Amy Morton
, Kevin McKidd
, Isabela Ferrer
, Alex Neustaedter
, Robert Clohessy
, Robyn Lively
, Megan Robinson
, Robin S. Walker
, Emily Baldoni
, Adam Mondschein
, Caroline Siegrist
, Steve Monroe
, Daphne Zelle

Distributor(s)

Sony Pictures Releasing

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